Tag Archives: todd snider

I didn’t like any of the questions from my idiot editor. So, I am going to my old fallback. Setting my phone to full random on songs. Going to tell my relationship to each song or band, in the order that they come up.

Bury Me – Dwight Yoakum

I just love this guy, and I am not a country fan by most definitions. To me, his music is folk music. I finally got to see him a couple years ago, at Red Rocks no less, and it was fantastic. I don’t know how I came about his music, but for years I have been performing ‘Fast as You’ with my band, and alone camping.

It’s funny to me that he is an actor. Being actor is about being a face. Yet, find me one publicity photo of his face. You can’t. Wait… I googled a pic of him without that hat. Never mind, Dwight, put that hat right back on.

One of the few Bobby songs that we all love and appreciate. And their ain’t many. Over the years, I have finally come to really appreciate Bob. Basically, it took Jerry dying to realize what a treasure we always had in Bobby. We took him for granted, and I will personally cop to it. However, may I note that this was a big song he was doing when I was following the band in summers of ’90 and ’91. He would do this caterwauling at the end that was just sad. We used to call him ‘Bobby Cheese’. Ok, maybe not ‘we’…. So much as ‘me’.

Side note, this comes from the album Terrapin Station. My god I love this album. Terrapin isn’t just my favorite Dead song… it is a super rare moment where the recorded original version is just perfection. Most of their catalogue never really got great until it was played live.

Nice Boys – Guns & Roses

This is from the album before Appetite. Can I tell you something? I was listening to Guns & Roses BEFORE Appetite for Destruction came out. Credit goes to Tim Ashton, of course. They had an EP called ‘live like a fucking suicide’. It was later re-released as side two of ‘Lies’.

Hello… sorry – Todd Snider

I love Todd Snider, he is a folk troubadour, a la Arlo Guthrie, and his father before him. This isn’t a song, but an intro to one of his wonderful live collections… where he tells as many stories as he does sing songs. Got to see him live a few years ago, and it was everything I hoped it would be. One of my favorite clips you can find online is this. Too Soon To Tell.

Buckets of Rain – Bob Dylan

well, it’s no surprise the list featured the Dead and Bob Dylan. I still listen to Dylan almost daily. This is from the masterpiece ‘Blood on the Tracks’. This is a rather jaunty look at his miserable divorce… which the whole album is about. Young Bob Dylan was a God, and I am thrilled he got the Pulitzer. To me, 1974’s Blood on the Tracks is a mystery, of sorts. This is the music Bob Dylan was making up to 1966. This should be the successor to ‘Blonde on Blonde’. However, Bob went weird for almost a decade. For Bob to ‘go weird’… well that is saying something. Lay Lady Lay? What the hell was that? What was that thing he was doing with his voice?

It’s like Bob went in to witness protection from 1966 to 1974. Then, he comes back with Blood on the Tracks… and it is like he was never gone.

What would be the worst song to be accidentally played at a kid’s birthday party?

Pretty much any song the amazing Tool

I am reminded by a brilliant comedy by to comedian Dimitri Martin, who said; its great to like kids…just don’t be to specific. You cay ‘oh I love kids!’… You don’t say ‘I sure love 7 year olds’

What song actually means something completely different from what most people believe it to mean?

Well, the obvious answer is ‘Ever Breath you Take’. That is not a long about eternal love, it ain’t. it is a psycho stalker. Let’s go deeper. ‘All the Best’ by John Prine. Extra points also to ‘Too Soon to Tell’ but Todd Snider. It contains maybe the best lyric ever – I wish I should show you how you hurt me in a way that wouldn’t hurt you, too.

Let’s just stop and enjoy that for a second –

What’s a happy sounding song that is actually sad ?

Everything by 10,000 Maniacs. Musically, the songs a beautiful and full of joyous melody. The actual topics, though> child abuse, suicide… really who whole gamut
What single song lyric never fails to fill you with emotion?

This performance of Footsteps, by Pearl Jam. You can find many versions, even though it was never technically released commercially. However, it is THIS version you must here. Legend has it there is NO official studio version of this song. Just his single take, done only once, as a band demo. Put some headphones on, and you were warned!

What song will you always associate with a scene from a movie or tv?

Somebody’s Baby Tonight – Jackson Brown. Its from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I highly recommend you google it, but not at work. I will tell you what, because I care. I am going to link to the scene here. DO NOT WATCH THIS AT WORK, you animal. It’s not my favorite scene, though. Nor is the Phoebe Cates pool scene. I think m favorite scene is when the guy wants a refund on his shitty breakfast. “Listen, Mr. If you don’t shut up, I am going to kick 100% of your ass”

What’s a happy sounding song that is actually sad ?

About the Weather. Beautiful, joyful music. The lyrics, though… well it’s just terribly depressing. It is important to note here that this band is from Buffalo, NY.

By the way, I have seen them a couple of times (once opening for the Dead, believe it or not). I kinda expected her to be dour and preachy… about all the injustices of society. You know… like how I just assume Sting is at a dinner party. However, they were awesome and happy and fun. Natalie actually got into a pie fight on stage during her set. I was SO impressed.

What single song lyric never fails to fill you with emotion?

Born to Run. My lord how I love that song. i think it may be the best rock song ever written. It is a masterpiece. For most bands, there is an album, or a body of work to represent them. Like, I am crazy for Pearl Jam… but I can’t point to a singular song. Nor could I with Bob Dylan. With Springsteen, though.. that song has it ALL. I am not even much of a Springsteen guy. Big fan of him as a person, but I don’t think I own a single album.

On that note, my mother in law got me the new Springsteen autobiography It is really, really well written. I can tell you there was no ghost writer here, and all auto=biographies are ‘ghost written’. Know how that works? A writer sits with the musician over months and plies him with questions and memories and anecdotes. That is how pretty much every autobiography is done. This one, though, is purely the voice of the Boss.

Now, since I know you know this song (you fucking better know this song)… dig this alternate version. Solo acoustic. Powerful. Man, I sure gush a LOT about Springsteen for a guy who has no albums.

*** was that 6 questions? 7? I don’t know. I feel bad, I am kinda a week late.

Having intimate knowledge of both, I prefer the latter. Give me the cold. I do not have AC, so the heat is unbearable at home. It is currently 100 out in Denver, which is very unusual. Combine that with the altitude and it is unthinkable. Indeed, we kinda get both here: very hot and very cold. I am not sure if this is the best of both worlds, or the worst? Only Dickens could tell!

So Anton Yelchin just joined the 27 club. Who’s Anton Yelchin? No googling!

Without having any idea who that is… and not googling… let’s take a wild stab in the dark

Yechin’s death illuminates the gritty and real world of amateur and professional wrestlers in today’s society. I am not talking about well built muscle machines playing MSG to millions. I am talking about where Yelchin came from… ‘community center’ wrestling. This is where each wrestler risks his life nightly for about $40. There are no trainers here, and no doctors on call. No health care for these guys, just toothless aholes screaming for ‘eddie van halen and the eddie van halen band’. Inside joke, there. Extra points to anyone who can name it. Miss Virgie knows!

Doctors have recently speculated that Yelchin, like many other tragic wrestling figures, suffered from CTE. That is the traumatic brain injury the NFL has been famously taken to task for.

Knowing what we know about Yelchin’s background, can we be surprised or upset that he was using drugs? Wouldn’t you? A recent study showed 83% of current Americans who describe amateur wrestling as a full time job… live UNDER the Federal poverty level.

How come you didn’t like my first question? I thought it was brilliant!! I mean how can you say you didn’t know there were gators in Florida? They’re the Florida Gators!

Editors note: the first question he submitted was terrible and confusing. I nixed it. However, I am so amused by this response from my guest editor (separate person, though most are just me. Today the fearless AZ Monkey Boy stepped in to offer our questions. Astute, non stoned, readers will remember him from this amazing and 100% true story) that I had to leave it in. Especially out of context.

Will the Broncos go from first to worst this year?

We will be fine. Maybe not great, but at least very good. We have the same defense, who did ALL the heavy lifting last year. Remember, we all love a good Manning story… but he didn’t do dick-all last year.

Plus… look at our division? San Diego & Oakland remain just a tragicomedy. The only threat in the AFC West is the Chefs. We have always had their number, so that is clearly not a threat. Great googly moogely indeed!

What famous athlete, actor, singer do you think would make a good pet sitter?

Sarah McLaclan. She would keep them alive. Prolly bore them to death, though. She would sing them all those sad songs, and remind them that most of their family and friends will die a sad neglected death on the streets.

Who would be bad?

Sarah McLaclan, for the reasons stated above. She could even bum out my Golden

Having sex. At least, not the guys. At least, not me. and I definitely don’t look cool having sex with guys.

2. What is the most useful fact you know?

How to say ‘I have monkeys in my trousers’ in several languages. Seriously

3. What is something that you can spend a lot of money on but is just as good or maybe better if you go the cheap route?

Well, I’ll tell ya this first, and foremost. One of the biggest truisms I have discovered in my 40 plus years on Earth – you get what you pay for. If everyone else paid $100 for something, and you paid $25. You didn’t get a ‘deal’. You got a piece of shit. Every time. He paid $80 for dinner, and you paid $6? Yeah, his was better. Shoes, jackets, food, hookers, cars… you name it. Be suspicious of anything that is too good a deal. Here is another real life example. I was just in Asia the last few weeks. I went to the market in Bangkok and I saw ‘Beats’ headphones. This model costs $300 in the US. I was thinking maybe I could get them for as much as half off… $150. Guess how much they were? $35. That isn’t a deal, that is a counterfeit… AND a piece of shit. I pulled out a pair and listened to them. They sounded like $35 headphones. On the upside, if you are shallow, they absolutely did look like the $300 headphones.

The one thing that doesn’t seem to follow ANY pricing logic is airfare. Sitting on a plane to San Diego, maybe you paid $200. The guy next to you could have paid $800, or $43.

Oooh, one more example. Do NOT ever buy the cheap generic saran wrap. I don’t care what market you are in, or what or who makes the generic knock off. Save yourself the heartache and frustration and spend the extra $1 on the real shit.

4. What’s the most mind blowing fact that you just made up?

that 5 of our every 4 Americans are overpaying for airfare.

5. If your belly button were an actual button, what would it do when pressed?

It starts a small structure fire to a building in Detroit. This is not, btw, hypothetical. No, it’s not an actual button, either, but it does start structure fires in Detroit. Actual button? That is some imagination you have, buster.

Now that I remember well. I bought this DVD before I owned a DVD player. It was the greatest and dumbest and most perfect movie ever: Spinal Tap

Do you still watch it?

Oh yes, I put it on in the background when I am cleaning. Just like Princess Bride, it gets better with each screening. Did you know that whole movie was improvised? I am talking about Spinal Tap, not Princess Bride. In addition, those songs were all written by those guys. The recordings are them on guitar and vocals as well. Not that is commitment to a role. Also, like Princess Bride, I know every word to the movie. Watching either of those movies with me isn’t much fun. Inconceivable, I know!

Oh, and then… the fake satire movie novelty original music. It wasn’t tied to a movie or anything. They (Michael McKean, Chris Guest, and Harry Shearer) just found after making the movie they really enjoyed each other and making music. After their second CD, they went on tour. So, at this point, Spinal Tap is a real life band… putting out original CDs and touring.

Not only was the whole movie improvised (Chris Guest is the genius behind all that, and several other movies) but when the actors did press, they only did it in character. They were just winging it, constantly. I was lucky enough to see them play live a few years ago. They did a Spinal Tap Unplugged tour. It was amazing. They not only played their hit Spinal Tap songs, but they played songs from their other amazing and improvised music movie – A Mighty Wind. They released a DVD and CD of this tour.

Keep in mind these guys are doing this truly for the love of the music. Harry Shearer is the voice of about a third of the Simpsons, including Mr Burns and Smithers. After 25 years, he is not only a millionaire, he could be a billionaire. The actors are likely getting about 10 million a year. Best part about voice over work, no one knows your face. Bart Simpson is likely one of the most recognized icons on earth, yet Nancy Cartwright could be sitting 5 feet from you and you wouldn’t know it.

If you could only save five DVDs from a house fire, what would they be?

Well, music DVDs, of course. Even though they are all likely totally replaceable, I mostly just buy music concert DVDs, because I can watch them over and over again. I very rarely feel that way about movies.

Lesse, how about these. These are amazing performances, and you should own them as well:

*** Yes, I understand that was more than five. What are you, a cop all the sudden?

Have you purchased any Blu Ray discs or do you just rent now?

Oh yes, I only buy Blu Ray now. However, I didn’t go back and re-buy my collection to upgrade from DVD to Blu Ray. When I got my Blu Ray player, though, at that point I began only buying Blu Ray going forward. The best thing about my Blu Ray player is that it is SO much more. It has the wireless internet stuff. So, it is also my Roku box, my Pandora music player, my Amazon pay per view movie player… all of that. Best $99 I have ever spent.

What is the jewel of your disc collection?

I have some really cool bootleg Todd Snider DVD shows, from this wonderful guy. Todd Snider is awesome. Here, just watch this. If you buy a CD of his, make SURE it is a live one. He is seriously more famous for telling his stories as he is for his songs.

Easy – fantasy football. It gives me a reason to watch every football game. I am in two leagues right now. One is college buddies and the other is just family. The college one has Peyton Manning for my QB. however, in my family one, I am playing against my nephew this weekend and HE has Peyton Manning. So, I will be a bit conflicted this weekend.

deeper choice – home brewing. It’s fun, and very satisfying. It’s empowering getting drunk off your own stew. Plus, it feels like you are getting one over on the ‘man’. Plus, I get to hear this for almost every pint poured: you made this? It’s amazing!

last book I finished, or the book I am reading now? Well, start here > I digest every book I read… mostly for my own memory.

2. What was the last movie you saw, and what is your opinion of it?

limitless, with Bradley Cooper. We all enjoyed it, but the ending was weird… and suspect. Can’t tell you anything more, because I think it is worth you watching it. It’s a decent renter.

3. What was the last TV show you saw, and what is your opinion of it?

entourage. I think I just saw the super end finale, which is weird. I watched the first few season of the show, but dropped cable right after they made Medellin, which bombed. So, I don’t know the storylines from the last few years. Good show, though. Had I not dropped cable, I would have kept up with the show. Btw, holy crap does Turtle look good. Dude lost like 100 pounds. Good thing, because he could have never got cast the way he used to look. Now that he is unemployed… he looks Hollywood. Well played, Turtle, well played!

4. What was the last album you bought / downloaded, and what is your opinion of it?

I think it was Todd Snider, the Storyteller. I can’t say enough good things about Todd Snider. Get his music now, but make sure it is live.

5. What was the last meal you cooked, and how did it turn out?

I cook almost every night. Last night was spaghetti and a sort of scratch sauce… with meatballs and pork steak. How was it? Ok. I prefer the arabiatta sauces, even though i don’t know what that means. Those marinaras are the bomb, super flavorful. I need to see if Hunts makes an arrabiata (see, I don’t even know how to spell it) in their tankers. Hunts sauce is the bomb, and cheap, and no sugar added. Huzzah!